Achuthanandan faces criticism at CPI (M) meet

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI-M stalwart and former
Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has come under attack
in the ongoing state meet of the party for taking positions
that were at variance with the party`s official stand in the
last four years.

The organisational review report presented by the state
secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, a bitter rival of Achuthanandan,
on the opening day of the state meet yesterday contained
several adverse remarks against the 87-year-old leader.

According to party sources, this was despite the party
expressing satisfaction about the overall performance of the
LDF ministry Achuthanandan headed for five years before losing
power narrowly to the UDF last year.

The main charge against Achuthanandan pertained to the
"hostile stand" he had taken against Vijyayan when he figured
as an accused in a corruption case dating back to early 1990s.

While the party`s official stand had been that Vijayan was
falsely implicated in the case, Achuthanandan wanted him to
step down from the key organisational post and made statements
that put him in the shadow of suspicion.

Achuthanandan was then dropped from the party`s polit
bureau for declining to toe the party line.

The review report not only recalled the circumstances of
the party action against the senior leader and the
deliberations of the Central Committee on the matter but also
sharp digs at the way he conducted all these four years.

As the four-day meet entered entered its second day, the
discussion on the review report by nearly 500 delegates was
progressing.

Besides party general secretary Prakash Karat, who opened
the meet with a call for strengthening the Left unity, PB
members Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai
and K Varadrajan are attending the conference as central
observers.

Ironically, despite Karat`s call for strengthening the
unity of the Left parties as they alone could offer a credible
alternative to the Congress and the BJP, the spat between the
CPI-M and CPI grew more acrimonious last evening.

What provoked the CPI(M) to take on the ally was certain
sharp comments made by CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan
against the CPI-M about the lead partner`s "overbearing"
approach in the LDF.

Chandrappan also criticised the CPI-M for displaying a
portrait of Jesus Christ at an exhibition ahead of the state
meet and event went on to say that the arrangements for the
conference were organised with the help of professional event
managers.

Hitting out at Chandrappan, the CPI(M) leaders alleged that
he had not yet got over the hangover of his past "Dangeite
line," alluding to the approach of Communist-Congress alliance
famously propounded by the late S A Dange, a founder leader of
the Indian Communist movement.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, also in Kerala to attend
his party`s state meet which began in Kollam, said it was
"unfortunate" that such an acrimonious exchange had happened
when the two parties are holding their crucial meets.

While resenting "uncharitable comments" made against
Chandrappan, Bardhan said wordy duels between the two parties
would only help deflect both from the prime aim of blazing an
alternative trail to save the country.